Written by Mackenzie Lancaster
Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
These verses are kind of heavy. They carry a lot of meaning that can be a little hard to determine when read all at once. But there’s no doubt that Paul is calling his readers to action, starting off the statement with “I urge you.” This is more than just encouraging or suggesting action; this is expressing a need for immediate action.
Next, Paul continues by saying, “in view of God’s mercy,” some versions say “in light of God’s mercy,” this is a continuation of the theme of the first eleven chapters in Romans, where the focus was on the mercy of God in many different aspects. But the rest of what Paul has to say all depends on God’s mercy. The act of us offering ourselves as living sacrifices would not be possible without God’s act of mercy in sending His Son to die for us, making us able to have a relationship with Him, and allowing us to actually be a perfect, living sacrifice.
The act of offering ourselves as a living sacrifice is a little daunting for me. Because this means putting everything of ourselves down as a sacrifice to God and saying “here is everything I have, and everything I am.” Which is a really hard thing to do! Thinking back to the idea of God’s mercy, however, makes this act of sacrifice easier. God made the ultimate sacrifice to save us, so making such a huge sacrifice to a God who loves us so deeply, isn’t as difficult as it sounds.
The next sentence in the verse is equally heavy: “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” However J.B. Phillips has a more tangible translation: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within.” I love the imagery that this part of the verse provides. The act of offering ourselves as a living sacrifice means we must be renewed, or re-molded by God. This kind of change can only be done through the power of God that works from the inside out, starting with our hearts and minds, working outwards to our actions.
The very last part of the verse is very encouraging, “then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” If we are transformed from the inside out, if we lay down ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, we will know His will “—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” If we live sacrificially for God, He will lead us in His way, the perfect way, and... What more could we want?